BLOOMFIELD, CONN. — Frederick Kenice McClafferty, 88, of Bloomfield and Stamford, Conn., died on May 23 surrounded by his family and content with a life well lived. The former executive vice president at N.W. Ayer was happiest running an antiques business with his wife, Jane, and doing the Sunday puzzle in ink.
Fred was born July 1, 1929, in Huntington, N.Y., and grew up in Greenwich Village. He attended La Salle Academy in New York City and the University of Connecticut. In 1954, he married the love of his life, Jane Reimer McClafferty, and they were together for these last 63 years and five months. After serving as a public information officer in the US Army, Fred began a career in media and advertising, first at ABC and later at N.W. Ayer, where he spent 33 years. He truly found joy after he “retired” and went into the antiques business with Jane full time. There, he delighted in discovering rare treasures, from an unusual pewter charger to a piece of early American furniture with the original finish intact.
In recent years, he was a beloved part of the Seabury community in Bloomfield, where he served on the stage crew for musical theater productions, helped oversee the residents’ workshop and, as part of the trails committee, built boardwalks, bridges and benches for others to enjoy. He took great delight in New York Times crossword puzzles (done only in ink), pineapple upside down cake, golden retrievers, platform tennis, UConn women’s basketball, neatly organized lists on yellow legal pads and the love of his family. Fred will be missed immensely by many, including Jane; his daughters, Janet Dunlap and Karen Jarsky; his sons-in-law, Tom Dunlap and David Jarsky; and his grandchildren, Jonathan Dunlap, Allyn Dunlap and Eli Jarsky.
Fred requested that his body be donated to the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. A private memorial service will be conducted at a later date. Donations in celebration of Fred’s life may be made to Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue, PO Box 808, Hudson, MA 01749 or www.ygrr.org; or to the St Francis Hospital Hope & Healing Campaign, c/o Saint Francis Foundation, 95 Woodland St, 2nd Floor, Hartford, CT 06105 or www.saintfrancisdonor.com/giving/specialgivingprograms).
— Submitted by the family
